Data demonstrates that the NMR LipoProfile test provides clinically reliable information to help reduce cardiovascular events, especially in patients with diabetes and those on statin therapy

April 9, 2014 — LipoScience Inc. announced data showing that patients managed to a target LDL particle (LDL-P) number, as measured by LipoScience's NMR LipoProfile test, achieved a 22 to 25 percent greater reduction in the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events over a three-year period compared to patients who attained LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) targets.

These data, presented in a poster session at the 63rd American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions in Washington, D.C., are derived from a real-world sample of commercially insured patients who were at a high risk of CV events, including patients with coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus. The investigators found that patients who achieved target LDL-P levels (<1,000 nmol/L) received more aggressive lipid-lowering treatment than those reaching target LDL-C concentrations (<100 mg/dL).

Those treatment differences were associated with better outcomes (as measured by the reduction in CV event rates) over one to three years of follow-up. The study was sponsored by LipoScience and jointly designed by LipoScience and HealthCore, with clinical input from Terry A. Jacobson, M.D., professor of medicine at Emory University, Atlanta, and Peter P. Toth, M.D., Ph.D., director of preventive cardiology at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, Ill.

"These new data add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that NMR measurement of LDL particle number, when used in conjunction with other lipid measurements, is a valuable cardiovascular risk management tool," commented Jacobson, the lead author of the study. "Due to the wide variance in the cholesterol content of LDL particles among individuals, measurements of LDL cholesterol and LDL particle number frequently disagree, especially in patients with insulin resistance and those treated with lipid-lowering therapies. When a disagreement between LDL-P and LDL-C is present, quantification of LDL particle number is a more clinically reliable measure of LDL and of treatment outcomes than measurement of LDL cholesterol."

Jacobson and colleagues analyzed data from more than 4,000 high-risk patients (over 2,000 with LDL-P <1,000 nmol/L and over 2,000 with LDL-C <100 mg/dL) selected from the HealthCore Integrated Research DatabaseSM who were followed for as long as three years. Those who achieved LDL-P target <1,000 nmol/L were more likely to receive higher-potency statin medications at baseline, compared to patients whose LDL-P levels were not measured but who achieved LDL-C concentrations below 100 mg/dL. As noted above, the risk of a CV event was 22 to 25 percent lower in the LDL-P target group than in the LDL-C target group over one to three years of follow-up.

"The HealthCore data add an important, real-world, analysis to the ongoing discussion of how best to optimize individual patient management. These findings are consistent with the recommendations of various expert panels and organizations such as the National Lipid Assn., the American Association for Clinical Chemistry and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, each of which advocates the use of LDL-P as a target of therapy in managing at-risk patients," stated William C. Cromwell, M.D., chief medical officer of LipoScience. "We hope the findings encourage greater adoption by clinicians to manage their patients to an LDL-P target to reduce CVD events."